CHAPTER 10: Upgrades

New words of new technology. New words of new places and planets. New words of animals, plants, races, cultures, and weapons. Alex felt like he had discovered something he truly shouldn't have. He even knew the very race that created this device, their culture, their politics, and even their appearance. Alex stood there motionless in the straight suit, absolutely silent. Maxwell saw Alex's face, and spoke in a slightly hesitant, empathetic voice.

"So now you know. We were horrified when we first found out, too. We were scared, and we thought about telling the world, and showing the evidence in your neck as proof. But then we realized something. According to the previous hosts, the Zalikiri race goes after societies that attempt to grow into a power that would make them a threat. We haven't gotten to that point worldwide, so long as we don't show potential, they won't bother with us. We don't know how exactly the crystal got here on earth, but the Zalikiri haven't already come, so they either must still be fighting the Nesaran, or they already received a crystal from them."

Alex knew the terms, though he had never heard them aloud before. The Zalikiri: a race that established a strict rule over any society that was blooming into its space era. Luckily, they preferred cold planets, much more frosty than those in the Goldilocks zone. The Nesaran: a race that opposed the Zalikiri for its ruling methods. A race that loved to create loose-bound contracts with societies of any technological advancement, and settled onto planets using colonies that lived and worked alongside the natives. They were also the creators of the NC, or an "Arbeteres System", as it calls itself.

"I think we should focus on the present, because there's almost nothing we can do to prepare for an attack. So, did you figure out why the crystal's nervous system is growing so fast?" Alex said.

"There is still no radiation leak like there usually is. Alex, you just might be our first survivor. Since the crystal is already stable and growing, wave therapy isn't necessary. Looks like we can send you to Moneyman's place earlier than we expected. You also won't have to worry about the hallucinations, anymore. They stop when the Heads-Up Display becomes visible. Now all we have to do is wait for the crystal's nervous system to grow throughout your body before the shield and all that comes with it is operational..." Maxwell said.

"That reminds me. It's time to give you the tools you will need." Maxwell rubbed his hands like a supervillain. He entered the holding room and released Alex from his restraints. They walked to the elevator and took it to a new floor. They entered one of the rooms that looked almost garage-like in appearance.

"Moneyman already said that he would provide you with a semi-automatic rifle and two pistols, all created with the power to do adequate damage to GMH's. We will also provide you with a melee weapon that can utilize your powers to a more efficient degree. It will be a heat pipe. If you don't know what that is, look it up. It already exists commercially. It's an insanely good conductor, so you don't have to waste too much energy, and it will increase your reach, as well. We also have that armor suit we talked about, so you can breathe and not overheat within your shield." Maxwell opened up a long thin case to reveal what looked to be a thick metal staff that was a combination of black and a pinkish color.

"This is the weaponized heat pipe, a real engineering feat for us. Normal heat pipes would bend or rupture if you tried to use them, so we took some time to fix those flaws. Thankfully, we had months to complete it. This thing should be able to keep up with your heat and strength." Maxwell remarked, as if he himself designed and built it(which he didn't).

"Next we got the suit. Pretty self-explanatory..." Maxwell said, dragging a big box from the side of the room and pulling out its contents piece by piece until it was all laid out. The armor was intricately segmented, consisting of hundreds if not thousands of scale-like parts, all with a metallic shine and numerous graphene layers clear-coating them. There was even one last coating of a mystery material, probably to prevent the graphene itself from oxidizing. Maxwell hurried off and came back with the helmet.

"Alright, we already took your measurements and fit this to you. Go ahead, try it on!" Maxwell said excitedly.

Alex's hormone balance kicked in again, lightening up his mood. Finally! He can get excited about the new tech he gets to try! Alex plastered a stupid smile across his face as he stripped to his underwear and grabbed the armor. First came the undersuit, which was very similar to the full-body suit he first woke up in when he was abducted. Proceeding that, he put on the armor leggings and boots. The armor would've been quite stuffy, if not for the undersuit and its cooling function. He manually clicked the pieces together one by one, sealing them in an air-tight bond. He now had everything except for the helmet on, and he performed his first tests. He squatted down, executed a dive roll(which was far easier with his new body), and rotated his arms. Alex cycled through his stretching routine to spot any weak points in the flexibility. He was surprised. The armor segments slid so smoothly and effortlessly. He could easily perform a wide range of motions without the armor plates exerting pressure on him, it was like wearing heavy clothes. The armor fit nice and snug around his body, not sagging or clunking around as he jumped. The small hump on his back containing the air canister didn't seem to get in the way of his range of motion, either. He went up to the round doorknob that belonged to the door of the hallway and turned it with ease. They had attached a rubber-like substance anywhere that required traction. They even had made the finger-tips fit precisely around his fingers, assuring that he could still do intricate tasks without removing his gloves. It could probably even be used on a touch screen. The thought that went into this suit was so much better than those in the hero movies Alex had watched up to this point. Alex wasn't going to lie to himself, he felt like a total badass. He set on his silver helmet and it made one last snap, completing the outfit. The visor was large and the visibility was great. He even had a small camera feed playing in the corner of the visor showing him his rear-view. This combined with the HUD that the Albeteres System showed to make for a sweet display. The only problem was that the HUD and the camera feed overlapped in his view. As soon as he wanted it changed, the Albeteres System responded to his mental command and updated it. Alex kneeled down and took the staff from its resting place.

"You called this a heat pipe, right?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, what of it?" Maxwell responded.

"That sounds totally lame. I'm going to rename it." Alex remarked

"Go for it." Maxwell said simply.

"Hmmm..." Alex looked at the blackish pink staff. The two colors blended to make a bronzed look. "Say, how much damage can this thing do?"

"Should be able to melt straight through metal and sometimes rock, and then wick it off like nothing happened. If it comes into contact with human flesh, then..." Maxwell cringed. At this Alex suddenly fit the pieces together. Angels of eternal fire, the seraphim.

"I got it. Bronze Seraph. Sounds cool enough, for something I came up with on the spot."

"Whatever floats your boat, man." Maxwell said, cringing in a different way this time.